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Wirgins & Other Wonders

6 October, 2015

Someone who's never cussed in their life is a wirgin. While a proactive language pedant is called a grammando.

Both inspired inventions hail from a delightful glossary by NY writer Lizzie Skurnick, That Should Be A Word. Many of the coinages are so good, they deserve dictionary status. Like a Twitter fight (HASHTILITY) or a marriage persisting out of duty (MARTYRMONY).

This week, as a variation from our typical clue-fest, see if you can match Skurnick's skill in devising words for the definitions below. Have a dash, and I will reveal the actual neologisms later in the week, just to see who cuts the better mustard.

1. Child who bosses everyone around

2. Sense of panic if every moment of your life isn't documented

3. Struggle trying to do too many things at once

4. A job with more status than salary

5. Love of hearing yourself talk

6. A friend you'd like to get rid of

7. Forever cancelling engagements

8. Excessively checking your devices

Can you rise to neologise? (And what other notions need a new word?)

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Riddledom Rave

If you missed my riddle chat with Richard Fidler, then feel free to slurp the podcast at http://ab.co/1I9t1x5

Text-speak is creeping into Scrabble. Where do you sit?
OBVS I'm fine with it
Entrenched stuff - like LOL and OMG - but no more.
Words With Friends, maybe. Scrabble, no
Let the 'real' dictionaries decide first
Just the handy stuff, like FAQ and EUW
I mean, WTF?! No way
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